Control and energy supply system for at least two aircraft seats

ABSTRACT

In a control and energy supply system for the drive units and control units for at least two, preferably adjacent, aircraft seats, all system components are interconnected via a data bus, so that the control system of the one seat is informed of what is happening to the other seat. The servomotors of the seats can be supplied with power via two separate networks. System failure caused by loose or disconnected plug type connections, cable breakage, short circuits or a failed control unit can be avoided by said redundancy concept.

[0001] The present invention relates to a control, energy supplymanagement and “power sharing” concept for the drives and control unitsin aircraft seats.

[0002] In control units, drive units and other configuration changingelements of an aircraft seat, the following serious faults may arise:Loose or disconnected plug type or other connectors, cable breakage,short circuits to ground or to another supply line, failed control unitsand failure of drive units or input devices and control elements,respectively, which may e.g. be pushbuttons, switches, chip cardreaders, possibly with a display.

[0003] It is the object of the present invention to indicate a system inwhich the function of the control units, drive units or otherconfiguration changing elements is ensured.

[0004] This object is achieved according to the invention by thefeatures of the independent patent claims.

[0005] Advantageous developments of the invention are characterized inthe dependent claims.

[0006] The invention provides a redundancy concept which is faulttolerant. Advantageously, the concept is supplemented by a “powersharing and management” system for adaptation to the correspondingcontrol demands, which constitutes a very essential and independentinventive idea.

[0007] The system according to the invention consists of a number ofdrive units, control units and monitoring units that are adapted to therespective aircraft seat, said elements of at least two, preferablyadjacent, aircraft seats being preferably arranged in the form of a bustopology or ring topology. The system, however, may also comprise theelements of three or more aircraft seats.

[0008] The bus topology may be a ring system or also a linear system.Dual buses which are laid in anti-parallel fashion are preferably usedin linear structures.

[0009] Another, e.g. discrete, arrangement of the input and controlelements is also possible.

[0010] The control units and the drive units of the group of seatsconsisting of two or more aircraft seats are equipped with localintelligence which permanently transmits the configuration to themonitoring system parts, the units being e.g. equipped with suitablesensors. The control units have a bus controller. The bus controllers ofat least two control units are informed through the configurationreports about all processes within the system.

[0011] The control unit and the drive units of an aircraft seat areconnected to the control unit and the drive units of at least onefurther aircraft seat, preferably via a bus topology or ring topology,in such a way that each drive unit is controllable via two connectionsby the associated two control units. When the standard bus connectionbetween a drive unit and the associated control unit of the aircraftseat is interrupted, this is noticed via the local intelligence of thesystem components and reported to the other control unit through the busconnection of which the affected control unit is then controlled.

[0012] Moreover, according to the invention each drive unit of the twoor more aircraft seats can be supplied with power by at least two powersupply units. When the local intelligence in the system componentsdetects that the standard current path of an aircraft seat isinterrupted, as is the case with a disconnected plug-type or otherconnection and with cable breakage in the power supply, this is reportedvia the bus system to the two control units, whereupon the controloperation is performed such that the current is taken over from thepartner system. The current is preferably calculated in advance to makesure that the partner supply is not overloaded.

[0013] Preferably, the power supply lines are only supplied with powerin case of need. This means that in case of a short circuit here isfirst of all no reaction. However, the control means (CBIT=ContinuousBuilt-in Test) installed in the control unit supplies the supply lineswith current at intervals for a short period of time of e.g. 100 ms tofeed e.g. the electronic system of the drive units, but also forchecking whether there is a short circuit in the line system. Upondetection of a short circuit, the alternative power supply of thepartner system is switched to.

[0014] Alternatively, there may be a constant current monitoring, andwhen a limit is exceeded, there will be a switching-off operation.

[0015] In accordance with the above description the presence of anunintended external supply e.g. from the 28-V onboard network of theaircraft can be detected. In this case the system parts are instructedto react only to the partner supply.

[0016] In case of a short circuiting to ground or to the supply of thebus system, the bus communication is interrupted. This will be noticedimmediately, and the partner system will be switched to.

[0017] According to the present invention the failure of a control unitcan also be compensated for. The status of each control unit and thedemands made on the control task are exchanged between the controlunits. The status is here compiled and communicated on the basis of theCBIT. In the absence of plausible information from one control unit, theother control unit takes over the tasks of the partner. The “powermanagement” in the control unit ensures that the power supply is notoverloaded. If only the control unit has failed, the power supply canstill be exploited.

[0018] Failure of an individual drive unit or a control element cannotbe ruled out. Since these devices are in general not dual-redundant,such a failure must be tolerated. Manual feedback means are provided forsuch purposes in the drive units and the actuator systems, respectively.In the case of the input device and the control element, respectively,the device of the partner can however be used. The function of all ofthe other system components is not affected by such faults.

[0019] In the area of the aircraft seats a plurality of devices must besupplied with current. These are e.g. a video entertainment system, atelephone, and an internet access, the supply for a personal computer(laptop) and reading light as well as seat control.

[0020] Due to the number of aircraft seats the current per seat is boundto be limited. The present invention exploits the cross link between theseats to offer more power to the individual seat than can normally beobtained under worse case conditions. Since the instantaneously consumedcurrent of the partner seat(s) is known, such an increase in power canbe realized via the connection lines.

[0021] Moreover, according to the invention less important supplies areautomatically switched off in heavy-duty cases. A special case is thedemand to move the seat from all configurations into the landingconfiguration within 15 seconds. Calculations show that the poweroffered is not sufficient in such a case.

[0022] The present invention offers the possibility that unnecessaryconsumers are first switched off. This may e.g. be the reading light,video or personal computer.

[0023] In addition, according to the invention the partner system(s) is(are) also queried as to which amounts of current can be provided forsupport. In the case of such an “emergency query” the unnecessaryconsumers are also switched off in the partner system.

[0024] According to the present invention the predetermined limits canbe observed both with respect to the actuator speeds and the maximumcurrent intensities.

[0025] Further details of the invention become apparent from thefollowing description of preferred embodiments and from the drawing, inwhich:

[0026]FIG. 1 shows a bus system comprising the elements of threeaircraft seats,

[0027]FIG. 2 shows a ring system; and

[0028]FIG. 3 shows the power supply of a double-seat system.

[0029] In the system shown in FIG. 1, the elements of three aircraftseats are interconnected via a data bus. Each aircraft seat includes acontrol element 1, a seat control device 2 and three drive or actuatorelements 3.

[0030] The control elements may e.g. be pushbuttons, switches and chipcard readers.

[0031] The seat control devices 2 serve to control the servomotors 3,they check for valid movements, automatically adopt positions andsatisfy a “power management”.

[0032] Each seat control device 2 has a bus controller 4. Moreover, eachcontrol device 2 includes a power supply 5.

[0033] The AFDX bus is marked by reference numeral 6 in FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0034] The servomotors 3 of the left seat group in FIG. 1 can becontrolled via the bus connection 7 by the control device 2 belonging tosaid seat (in the figure the control device is positioned above theservomotors 3). When this is not possible, for instance because of adisconnected plug type connector or because of cable breakage, theservomotors 3 are controlled by the control device that is the centralone in the illustration, via the bus connection 8 from the other side.

[0035]FIG. 2 shows a data ring bus system with two control devices 9,three control elements 10, and three pairs of servomotors 11 of threeadjacent aircraft seats. The control elements are here included in thering bus.

[0036] Like in the case of the actuator elements 3 of FIG. 1, theservomotors 11 are again intelligent actuators which constantly transmitthe configuration to the control devices.

[0037]FIG. 3 shows the power supply of a double-seat arrangement with acontrol element each, three servomotors 13 and one seat control device14 each.

[0038] All servomotors 14 and the control elements 12 can be suppliedwith power via two separate power supply units that are controlledeither by the control device shown at the left or right side in thefigure. As outlined in the servomotor 14 at the left side in the figure,the servomotors 13 have a switch 15 with which they are connectableeither to the one or the other circuit. For the same purpose decouplingdiodes may e.g. also be provided. The switches or the like can also bearranged in the control elements.

[0039] The power supply 5 of the control devices 14 may also feed amultimedia system, a personal computer, a keyboard, monitor, loudspeakerand microphone, which in the figure are marked with reference numeral 16on the whole.

[0040] With the help of a software contained in the control unit 14 orby a corresponding wiring, the servomotors 13 and the control elements12 are assigned to the respective aircraft seat. This means that theright unit knows about the system parts pertaining to it and is thusalso aware which ones belong to the left partner. Since all system partshave, however, a common bus topology, the respective control system isalso informed about what is just happening at the other side.

[0041] According to a further essential aspect of the invention, allinconsistencies and faults, their type and exact location can bedetected and transmitted by a bus system extending through all seats toa central overall maintenance system, which is marked in FIG. 1 withreference numeral 17. All faults arising at the seats can thus bequeried centrally.

1. Control and energy supply system for the drive units and controlunits of at least two, preferably adjacent, aircraft seats,characterized in that the control unit (2, 9, 14) and the drive units(3, 11, 13) of one aircraft seat are connected to the control unit andthe drive units of at least one further aircraft seat via a data linemeans, that each drive unit can be supplied with power by at least twopower supply units, and that an interruption in the normal data lineconnection of a seat is detected and reported via the data line means tothe control unit of a further aircraft seat, and control andconfiguration report are carried out via the partner system.
 2. Controland energy supply system for the drive units and control units of atleast two, preferably adjacent, aircraft seats, characterized in thatthe control unit (2, 9, 14) and the drive units (3, 11, 13) of oneaircraft seat are connected to the control unit and the drive units ofat least one further aircraft seat via a data line means, that eachdrive unit can be supplied with power by at least two power supplyunits, and that an interruption in the normal current path of anaircraft seat is detected and reported via the data line means to thecontrol units of said aircraft seat and a further aircraft seat, and thecontrol operation is then carried out such that the current is takenfrom the other power supply unit.
 3. Control and energy supply systemfor the drive units and control units of at least two, preferablyadjacent, aircraft seats, characterized in that the control unit (2, 9,14) and the drive units (9, 11, 13) of an aircraft seat are connected tothe control unit and the drive units of at least one further aircraftseat via a data line means, that each drive unit can be supplied withpower by at least two power supply units, and that upon detection of ashort circuit or of an unintended external supply the power supply ofthe adjacent system is switched to.
 4. Control and energy supply systemfor the drive units and control units of at least two, preferablyadjacent, aircraft seats, characterized in that the control unit (2, 9,14) and the drive units (3, 11, 13) of an aircraft seat are connected tothe control unit and the drive units of at least one further aircraftseat via a data line means, that each drive unit can be supplied withpower by at least two power supply units, and that the control unitsexchange their status and the demands on their control tasks betweeneach other, and in the absence of plausible information from a controlunit the other control unit assumes the task thereof.
 5. Control andenergy supply system according to any one of claims 1 to 4,characterized in that the control units (2, 9, 14) and the drive units(3, 11, 13) are equipped with local intelligence permanentlytransmitting the configuration to the monitoring system parts. 6.Control and energy supply system according to any one of claims 1 to 5,characterized in that the data line means has a bus or ringarchitecture.
 7. Control and energy supply system according to any oneof claims 1 to 6, characterized in that each control element (1, 10, 12)of the aircraft seats can also be supplied by at least two power supplyunits.
 8. Control and energy supply system according to claim 7,characterized in that upon failure of a control element (1, 10, 12) thecontrol element of the other aircraft seat can be used.
 9. Control andenergy supply system according to any one of claims 1 to 8,characterized in that a common maximum current is provided for the atleast two aircraft seats.
 10. Control and energy supply system accordingto claim 9, characterized in that when the maximum current is exceeded,predetermined electric devices are automatically switched off.